QMJHL blog: Beauvillier gone; Garland great - Sportsnet.ca The Sherbrooke Phoenix are showing signs of life after a disappointing start to the season sitting in 10th place and going 7 0 1 2 in their past 10 games Off season acquisition Guillaume Gauthier continues to excel on his new team with 23 goals tops in the league holding the fort for last season s top goal scorer Daniel Audette who s been sidelined since the end of October with a separated shoulder One of the players stepping up in Audette s absence is Julien Pelletier also acquired during the off season He had a pair of goals and two assists Saturday night for Sherbrooke in a 4 1 win over Shawinigan He s up to 11 goals one more than he had in 53 games last season and 18 points in 19 games Pelletier looked like a promising prospect after a 25 goal 50 point rookie campaign for Cape Breton in 2013 14 The Columbus Blue Jackets nabbed him 107th overall that year but he struggled last season in Cape Breton and was traded to Rouyn Noranda His numbers didn t improve and he again was on the move on draft day when the Phoenix acquired him in exchange for Gabriel Fontaine and a second rounder in 2016 Adding to their injury woes the Phoenix will be without stud defenceman Jérémy Roy for two weeks after he injured his leg Saturday night against Shawinigan Roy will miss the Canada Russia Series and will be replaced by Rouyn Noranda s Philippe Myers Garland s helpers extend streak Moncton Wildcats forward Connor Garland didn t find the back of the net this week but he piled up seven assists in two games to take back the scoring lead with 43 points He was named the league s second star for his effort highlighted by four assists in a 5 4 overtime win over the Halifax Mooseheads Garland has scored in every game he s played in this season averaging 2 26 points per game NHL draft eligible prospect goes coast to coast Samuel Girard is the only 2016 NHL Draft eligible defenceman on the QMJHL squad for the Canada Russia Series One guy who should crack the roster next year is Luke Green of the Saint John Sea Dogs The first overall pick of the 2014 QMJHL draft Green knows how to turn on the jets In a 3 2 overtime win against Halifax on Saturday the sophomore whizzed by the entire Mooseheads team and skated behind the net for a wrap around The rebound was tapped in by Kyle Ward Green has 11 points this season 2Fhockey 2Fjuniors 2Fqmjhl blog beauvillier gone garland great again 2F Join the Discussion EDITORS PICKS McDavid looks for silver lining in injury situation 2 hours ago How Holm derailed the Rousey hype train 4 hours ago Will Donaldson get long term offer from Jays this winter 11 hours ago Matt Duchene handling Avalanche trade rumours like a pro 2 hours ago The time

OHL Roundup: Spitfires win overtime thriller - Sportsnet.ca more as the Battalion downed Barrie Matthew Santos had a goal and four assists for North Bay 9 8 2 and Zach Shankar Daniil Vertiy Miles Liberati and Mark Shoemaker supplied the rest of the offence Ben Hawerchuk Brendan Lemieux and Julius Nattinen scored for the Colts 12 7 0 while Rasmus Andersson chipped in with assists on all three goals ATTACK 2 SPIRIT 1 OWEN SOUND Ont Bryson Cianfrone scored the go ahead goal on a power play 4 33 into the third period and the Attack held on to edge Saginaw Justin Brack also scored for Owen Sound 10 6 4 Blake Clarke had the lone goal for the Spirit 8 11 2 BULLDOGS 2 PETES 1 OT HAMILTON Niki Petti scored 2 19 into overtime to lift the Bulldogs over Peterborough Adam Laishram gave Hamilton 7 12 1 a 1 0 lead with his goal 4 46 into the third Eric Cornel had the lone goal for the Petes 8 9 4 finding the back of the net to tie the game with 1 04 remaining in regulation OTTERS 5 RANGERS 2 KITCHENER Ont Dylan Strome had two goals and two assists as Erie toppled the Rangers Alex DeBrincat and Vanya Lodnia had a goal and an assist apiece for the Otters 17 2 1 who also got a goal from Patrick Fellows Brandon Robinson and Elijah Roberts supplied the offence for Kitchener 16 2 3 Rangers winger Jake Henderson was ejected early in the second period for a checking to the head major 2Fhockey 2Fjuniors 2Fohl roundup spitfires win overtime thriller 2F Join the Discussion EDITORS PICKS McDavid looks for silver lining in injury situation 2 hours ago How Holm derailed the Rousey hype train 4 hours ago Will Donaldson get long term offer from Jays this winter 11 hours ago Matt Duchene handling Avalanche trade rumours like a pro 2 hours ago The time Michael Jordan carried Max Domi 7 hours ago Bases Covered Could Cueto land with the Yankees 5 hours ago Forrest They threw bags of urine at us 5 hours ago NHL commissioner Gary Bettman s latest salary revealed 10 hours ago MOST DISCUSSED Red hot Rangers score late to end Maple Leafs win streak 291 COMMENTS Will Donaldson get long term offer from Blue Jays this off season 85 COMMENTS Mayweather 50 Cent chirp Rousey on Instagram 28 COMMENTS Connor McDavid won t say if Flyers hit was clean or dirty 64 COMMENTS Weekend Takeaways James Reimer becoming a valuable asset 49 COMMENTS Spitfires Vilardi a top 2017 NHL Draft prospect OHL roundup Mangiapane drives Colts to win GET A BONUS GIFT SUBSCRIBE Sports NHL MLB NBA NFL CFL SOCCER CURLING TENNIS AUTO RACING More MAGAZINE TELEVISION RADIO TIM SID INSIDERS SN WORLD SN NOW RSS Social FACEBOOK TWITTER YOUTUBE GOOGLE About SN MEDIA CENTRE COMPANY INFO ADVERTISE FAQ FEEDBACK 2000 2015 Rogers Media All rights reserved Privacy Policy Ad Choices Terms of Service Create a new password We ve sent

Firebirds, fans turn page on controversy in first game back - Sportsnet.ca This place didn t look like this Woodyard said of the upgrades On Friday if you walked into the arena about an hour before puck drop you d find season ticket holders like Linda and Dave Guigear milling about waiting for the seating sections to officially open while a lad clad in a Firebirds jersey played music from a makeshift DJ booth and the first adult beverages of the night were tipped Guigear the township supervisor for nearby Mundy Township says for a moment he was worried he might not have a team to watch But those thoughts didn t have to linger for long and as another member of his party explains most people seem willing to grant Nilsen a mulligan We like to say that he just bumped his head said Chris Hamilton who was sporting a pin that linked him to the Old Newsboys of Flint The Newsboys are a not for profit organization that helps ensure kids in need around Flint and Genesee County get a present or two during the holiday season It s certainly not breaking news to note that Flint in general has endured some rough times the sort that dwarf a little tizzy around the local hockey team That said and without overstating it sports is a welcomed distraction in these parts and while hockey might not be in the blood the way things like basketball are the game certainly has a history here The Flint Generals existed in different forms of the International Hockey League for decades and prior to the Firebirds landing Flint was home to a North American Hockey League Jr A team called the Warriors You ll never mistake Dort Federal for the type of scaled down NHL facility you can find in a place like say London but all the hockey staples are here from Stompin Tom to chuck a puck Announced attendance was 2 889 in a rink that looked just over half full but the glass half full take on that is if the 8 9 0 1 Firebirds keep showing some fight a few more bodies may turn up The fact Flint had two goals before the game was four minutes old it was suggested to Gruden indicated his players had a little added incentive for this game The coach did not disagree I saw a little bit of fire in people s eyes he said Even in the teeth of the storm people admired how the players handled themselves I was glad they stood up for their coach said Larry Jeffrey attending the game in an orange Firebirds hoodie alongside his grandparents Nancy and Hubert Jeffrey Given this is the town truculent former NHLer Tim Thomas calls home maybe that kind of attitude should be expected And who knows perhaps we ll see more evidence of a resilient spirit on the ice In some strange way says Woodyard I feel like it s going to rally the team For one night at least

The Flint Firebirds saga in one easy timeline - Sportsnet.ca Central Noon Sorry this video is not available in your country region The inevitable memes begin Terry Doyle talks to Brady Walker and says things got out of control Sorry this video is not available in your country region The coaches are re hired Aaaaand the saga continues FlintFirebirds re hire coaches https t co 4nEYcXy9IF Sportsnet pic twitter com 5ZBZNxR4FG John Grigg John Grigg November 9 2015 A statement is released Dear Fans here is a statement from our owner Thank you for your continued support pic twitter com kLXh77X60W Flint Firebirds FlintFirebirds November 9 2015 Sam Cosentino joins Tim and Sid to explain some things Sorry this video is not available in your country region CHL Commissioner David Branch visits with Prime Time Sports Sorry this video is not available in your country region Michael Grange pens a column about fathers and sons in the CHL Situation in Flint isn t first time family ties have been an issue in CHL https t co H7bhP6f5x6 michaelgrange pic twitter com Vk1VRNINec Sportsnet Sportsnet November 10 2015 And the poor kid at the centre of it all is still on the Firebirds roster Hakon Nilsen remains with the Flint Firebirds this morning OHL OHLInsiders OHLinsiders November 10 2015 2Fhockey 2Fjuniors 2Fthe flint firebirds saga in one easy timeline 2F Join the Discussion EDITORS PICKS McDavid looks for silver lining in injury situation 2 hours ago How Holm derailed the Rousey hype train 4 hours ago Will Donaldson get long term offer from Jays this winter 11 hours ago Matt Duchene handling Avalanche trade rumours like a pro 2 hours ago The time Michael Jordan carried Max Domi 7 hours ago Bases Covered Could Cueto land with the Yankees 5 hours ago Forrest They threw bags of urine at us 5 hours ago NHL commissioner Gary Bettman s latest salary revealed 10 hours ago MOST DISCUSSED Red hot Rangers score late to end Maple Leafs win streak 291 COMMENTS Will Donaldson get long term offer from Blue Jays this off season 85 COMMENTS Mayweather 50 Cent chirp Rousey on Instagram 28 COMMENTS Connor McDavid won t say if Flyers hit was clean or dirty 64 COMMENTS Weekend Takeaways James Reimer becoming a valuable asset 49 COMMENTS Flint not first time family has led to CHL issues How Flint Firebirds firestorm came about GET A BONUS GIFT SUBSCRIBE Sports NHL MLB NBA NFL CFL SOCCER CURLING TENNIS AUTO RACING More MAGAZINE TELEVISION RADIO TIM SID INSIDERS SN WORLD SN NOW RSS Social FACEBOOK TWITTER YOUTUBE GOOGLE About SN MEDIA CENTRE COMPANY INFO ADVERTISE FAQ FEEDBACK 2000 2015 Rogers Media All rights reserved Privacy Policy Ad Choices Terms of Service Create a new password We ve sent an email with instructions to create a new password Your existing password has not been changed Close Create a new password We ll send you a link to create a new password forgotPasswordForm traditionalSignIn emailAddress backButton forgotPassword sendButton forgotPasswordForm Legal Acceptance legalAcceptancePostLoginForm By clicking Accept I

Flint not first time family has led to CHL issues - Sportsnet.ca sons play for them in the CHL The hockey world is so small it would almost stop turning if it weren t for nepotism of different shades There are even unwritten rules around how owners and executives acquire their kids As a courtesy other teams are expected not to draft kids whose parents work for rival teams and out of respect for the process it s expected that teams that want to preserve family ties take their offspring a round ahead of where other teams have them slotted The biggest drama that surrounded Kerby Rychel was when the Barrie Colts drafted him ahead of his father Warren s Windsor Spitfires Once that was resolved it was pretty simple as the younger Rychel went on to score 102 goals for Windsor and was a first round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft And back when Mike Foligno was the coach and general manager in Sudbury family ties were a good thing as that meant he had his sons Marcus and Nick in the lineup for the Wolves between them the Folignos have gone on to play nearly 800 NHL games But when the player in question is a marginal talent and the person in charge has expectations for playing time problems can cascade quickly You try to have a plan set up before but sometimes emotions get involved especially surrounding hockey Cull said It seems like an emotional sport to be a part of and the dynamic is difficult to keep if someone is getting things that are unwarranted so to speak In his case of Burgess s son he counted just one assist in 28 games as a rookie and one more assist in 59 games in Year 2 Eight games into his third OHL season he retired It s very tricky it s really tough once you re talking about an owner and a son and a coach Cull says For me I have a family and it affects your wife you re living in that community and it affects everything you do I was working for the Burgess family and they d owned the team for 25 years It was a big thing Now that I m removed from the situation you realize how unhealthy it is for everyone involved It s a very tricky situation for anybody There were a ton of balls in the air and there was a lot of work to keep everyone focused For me the timing was right for me to move on In Flint Firebirds coaches John Gruden and Dave Karpa reportedly gained some job security out of the crisis returning to work with new three year contracts What will be interesting will be how they interact with the team s owner going forward It may or may not have been the first time Nilsen meddled in matters of flesh blood and ice time The real question will when the next time will be 2Fhockey 2Fjuniors 2Fflint not first time family